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Danielle Salisbury | Danielle_Salisbury@mlive.com

About Me:

I began working at the Citizen Patriot in the spring of 2007. Mostly, I cover public safety issues, crime and courts. I have a degree in journalism and art from Central Michigan University. You can reach me at Danielle_Salisbury@mlive.com or 517-262-0026.

Craft died of injuries inflicted when he was hit by one or both vehicles, as reported in a previous Citizen Patriot story, which can be found at: http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2010/03/pathologists_report_jackson_bu.html

According to the police report, he was not moving and had severe head injuries after the first impact.

I cover the criminal justice system. Unfortunately, what happens on this beat is not always positive. The decision to write about an event or issue is based on its news value, not the race of the people involved. In this story, I do not believe race is relevant.

Several members of Ebbert's family said they did try to help her. They took in her children, and provided or tried to provide her place to stay, but she did not like to follow the rules, they said. "She would accept the help for so long, and then she would get in trouble," said her sister-in-law, Victoria Ebbert.

She was raised to make the right decisions, she said.

"To say her family tossed her on the street, that is not what happened," she said.

The Supreme Court in 2005 decided drunken driving did not have to be a "substantial cause" of a victim's death to convict someone of operating under the influence of liquor causing death.
"The statute requires that the defendant's operation of the motor vehicle, not the defendant's intoxicated manner of driving, must cause the victim's death," the court ruled.
It was reviewing a Jackson County case involving James R. Large, who was driving drunk and on a suspended license when an 11-year-old girl rode a bike without brakes down a steep driveway and into the side of Large's pickup truck in Leoni Township.
Citing a 1996 ruling by the Supreme Court, two Jackson County judges in 2003 ruled Large could not be charged with manslaughter and operating under the influence of liquor causing death.
The rulings were based, in part, on a police expert's opinion Large had about 1.5 seconds to react, drunk or sober.
The high court overruled its previous finding and the lower courts.
Large eventually pleaded no contest to negligent homicide and went to jai for a year, according to past Citizen Patriot stories.

Detective Chris Boulter said she did not have a cell phone with her at the time. She she went from the park to a nearby friend's home, he said. From there, she called another friend, who came and took her to the hospital.

I have been a client at Headliners. A couple different stylists have cut and colored my hair there and one of them did it quite regularly for a while. I am not friends with the owner and I do not believe my being a customer impacts my reporting. We post information as we get it. When the original version of the story went on the Web site, I had tried to contact, but had not reached Cara King's lawyer. I have since done that and some of his comments will be included in a final version of the story.

I am a Citizen Patriot reporter, trying to get in touch with someone from the family. Is it possible please to give me a call at 768-4929? We could put something in the newspaper about how to provide the family help. Thank you.